Northern Illinois University alumni, students, supporters, faculty and staff are invited to U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday, July 19, for NIU White Sox Night.
The Chicago White Sox will host the Houston Astros, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Help cheer on the White Sox to victory over the Astros and stick around for the fireworks show presented by NIU, featuring Caribbean and Latin-themed music, including the following:
- Bamba Colora / Celia Cruz
- Three Little Birds / Bob Marley
- Descarga de Hoy / Cubanisimo!
- No Woman No Cry / The Fugees
- Baile Como Es / Tito Puente
- Can’t Remember to Forget You / Shakira & Rihanna
- Adrenalina / Wisin, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin
NIU fans can save from $5 to $15 off game tickets that night by ordering through the special White Sox website, www.whitesox.com/niu, and entering NIU as the offer code. Special ticket prices include lower box, outfield reserved, upper box and bleacher seats, and prices are as follows:
| SECTION | OFFER | PRICE PER TICKET |
| Lower Box | $15 off | $29 |
| Outfield Reserved | $10 off | $16 |
| Bleachers | $10 off | $14 |
| Upper Box | $5 off | $14 |
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to take in a performance by the NIU Steel Band, adding to the ambience of Noche Tropical. Directed by Liam Teague, the world-renowned NIU Steel Band is a 35-member group and mainly comprises steel pan and percussion majors. The band performs regularly at public schools, colleges and universities, as well as conventions and arts series. The band has three recordings to its credit, including the most recent “Festival of Voices,” a live concert featuring an eclectic blend of styles.
Members of the world renowned NIU Steel Band will perform at the game
NIU Steel Band has broadened the repertoire and performance venues for the steel pan; highlights include a performance for 18,000 soccer fans in Yankee Stadium, two successful tours of Taiwan in 1992 and 1998, concerts with symphony orchestras (including the St. Louis Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta) and performances at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC). In 2000 the NIU Steel Band had the distinction of placing second in the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad, and in 2002 the band performed several concerts (including the opening) at the Seoul Drum Festival in South Korea.
NIU White Sox Night is the result of an ongoing relationship and partnership between the university, NIU Alumni Association and Chicago White Sox organization.
“Over the past eight years, the NIU Alumni Association has been fortunate to partner with the White Sox in a variety of ways,” said Joseph Matty, NIU associate vice president of university advancement and executive director of the NIU Alumni Association.
This year the White Sox added an internship component to the partnership, allowing students to gain real-world experience in a variety of operational areas. Studies show that paid internships are the single-most important thing that predicts whether students will get a job after graduation–more important than their grade point average, their school or their area of study. The partnership with the White Sox is a prime example of efforts to provide these experiences to NIU students.
“We are thankful to the White Sox for their generous support of our university and mission,” Matty continued. “Their contributions have been invaluable in growing our Forward, Forever Forward Scholarship Fund, among other initiatives.”
